


Swapped

by fieryslytherin



Series: Switch [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, but angst before that, last two chapters are pure fluff, so you get fluff and angst?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-12
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-06-07 21:52:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 19,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6825892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fieryslytherin/pseuds/fieryslytherin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"“No!” Chat screamed shoving ladybug out of the way. He felt the Switcher’s fingers brush against Chat’s suit instead of Ladybugs. He made eye contact with her as he saw her turn pale in realization. Then he let out a scream in agony as it felt like all of his cells were being torn apart. There was a bright flash of light, and then nothing. He felt his body fall into darkness."</p><p>One night when a terrible Akuma by the name of the Switcher attacks the streets of paris he sends Chat to an Alternate Reality. Ladybug quickly realizes how much she needs him, now that he is gone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Switch

**Author's Note:**

> And we have liftoff! I hope you enjoy my latest fanfic for the ladybug fandom. I have been toying with this idea for some time now, but I think I finally have a solid idea of which way I want this to go. So buckle up cause this is going to be a bumpy ride.  
> Enjoy!

It was late, well after midnight. Chat yawned as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop, searching for the rendezvous point that ladybug had given him. He hated late night akuma attacks, especially when he had a modeling gig early the next morning. It always meant that he would have dark bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. Then his father would be mad. He lept to another rooftop, looking for any sign of his lady.  He had been fast asleep when screams from the city streets had jolted him awake. Not even waiting for complaints from a disgruntled and only slightly awake Kwami he had transformed in the blink of an eye. Even before the transformation had settled he heard his stick begin to ring. A call from Ladybug. She gave him a place to meet for the latest Akuma attack and then hung up, leaving Chat to his own devices to reach her. After a few minutes of leaping from rooftop to rooftop he spotted a ladybug sitting on a rooftop alone. She was looking down at what Chat could only assume was the akuma attack. Despite the circumstances Chat felt his breath taken away by how beautiful she was, even in the dark of the night. He took one long leap towards her.

“You are late,” Ladybug muttered. Chat Noir grunted as he landed with a thud beside her.

“I’m sorry my lady, I was busy cat napping when the akuma started his attack,” He purred wrapping his arm around her shoulder, “But I am here for you now.”

She rolled her eyes and pushed him away, though Chat would have been shocked if she hadn’t. “Must you be flirtatious all the time?” She complained. Chat opened his mouth to respond, but was caught off by a scream below.

“Can we save this conversation for when we don’t have an akuma attacking our city?” He responded, relieved he had some way to change her focus.

“Right,” Ladybug sharply turned to look at the akuma attack commencing below.

“So what’s happening?” Chat asked looking down at the chaos below. A group of people were running in every which direction to get away from a man that looked mostly harmless. 

“I’m not exactly sure, the akuma calls himself the Switcher. Those people have been trying to escape him, but the Switcher has put up some form of barrier-- a forcefield maybe-- that has made it impossible for them to escape. He has been standing there watching them run around like ants, not really doing much. Every once in awhile he will reach out and touch one of the people. They will let out a scream of pain and then there is a bright flash of light, then they collapse to the ground.” She finished her explanation and looked at Chat, “I have been afraid to get close, because if he even touches me I could pass out and there is no telling how long it would be until I wake up.”

“Oh so you want me to play the distraction don’t you?” Chat murmured, though his tone was still playful, “I knew you only wanted me for my body.” He added as an afterthought, proud to have come up with something like that on the spot.

Ladybug rolled her eyes in annoyance. She turned to look at the akuma and then back at Chat, “Just do it,” She commanded. 

Chat nodded vigorously, his blonde hair flying in every direction. “Of Course, my lady.” He smiled. With that he moved to jump off of the edge of the roof.

“Chat!” Ladybug called out at the last moment.

“Yes bugaboo?” He cocked his head to one side. She looked confused, like she wanted to say something, but didn’t know how.

“Just--- just be careful okay?” She said finally. Chat nodded and leapt off of the roof, landing directly next to the Switcher.

The man jumped with a start, confused to see Chat Noir there. Chat waved coyly. The man scowled and launched at Chat. He lept out of the way just in time, the akuma only missed touching Chat by millimeters. Chat felt the edge of adrenaline that always came when experienced something dangerous. He looked around to see ladybug slowly sneaking her way down from the rooftop, trying not to alert the Switcher to her presence. She held spotted rope in her hands, a lucky charm for sure. Chat dodged another attack from the Switcher as she reached the ground. He watched as she began to run the rope between two lamp posts. By the looks of it, she would need more time to get whatever she was planning set up. 

Chat used his Cataclysm to make the ground around the Switcher give way, sending him into a deep pit. He looked in at the switcher to see that he only looked minorly inconvenienced. Chat watched as the Switcher’s hands began to glow. He watched as a purple ladder appeared as an escape from the hole. The ladder glowed slightly and seemed to be made of the same material that the Switcher used to create a barrier that no one could escape. Chat lept backwards as the Switcher emerged from the hole.

“Chat!” He heard ladybug call. He turned to see her waving him to come stand by her, her trap of rope set. He was by her side in seconds. Their arms brushed for a moment, leaving goosebumps running up and down Chat’s side. He turned to look at her coyly, but she shook her head reminding him that now was not the time to flirt.

He directed his attention back towards the akuma at hand. The akuma growled at the two of them as he slowly made his way towards them.

“If it isn’t Ladybug.” He snarled, “Hawkmoth told me that if the cat was here then you weren’t far behind.” 

“That’s because my lady loves me,” Chat responded with a toothy grin.

“Chat,” ladybug warned, although her cheeks turned a little red. Chat had noticed he had begun to have that effect on her sometimes as of late.

“I’m sorry, my lady, I guess I’ll leave the talking to you,” he muttered, folding his arms in mock disappointment. Ladybug smirked at him before turning her attention back to the akuma. The switcher was walking towards them; he glared at the two superheros, as if annoyed that they weren’t paying him any attention.

“You two are just like everyone else in my life,” he spat, “you pay more attention to everything that isn’t me. That is why hawkmoth gave me the power he did. He told me it will change things.” Ladybug looked at the scattered bodies that lay on the ground, then back at the Switcher. 

“What do you mean by that?” Ladybug demanded to know. Chat Noir eyes the people on the ground when his eyes fell upon Alya, one of his nearest friends. The Switchers words echoed in his mind, the power to change things. Suddenly Chat was as worried as Ladybug seemed to be. He turned back towards the Switcher, his face dark. 

“Well,” The switcher chuckled, “there are multiple realities that exist. When I touch a person, I swap them with the version of them that is most likely to adore me.” He had a malicious grin on his face. Chat felt his head snap back to Alya. She looked exactly the same to him on the outside, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t different on the inside. 

“My lady, we need to get rid of this man, there is no telling where--” he turned to look at ladybug to see she had abandoned her post and was running to attack the Switcher “MY LADY!” He screamed running after her.

“How dare you do this!” She cried hurling her yo-yo at the man. She had tears in her eyes and it was obvious that she was angry.

“My lady stop, stick to your plan.” Chat tried to reason with her, but she was too busy fighting a cackling man. That is when Chat saw his hand moving towards her. She was so focused on the Switcher’s face she didn’t even see what was about to happen to her. “No!” Chat screamed shoving ladybug out of the way. He felt the Switcher’s fingers brush against Chat’s suit instead of Ladybugs. He made eye contact with her as he saw her turn pale in realization. Then he let out a scream in agony as it felt like all of his cells were being torn apart. There was a bright flash of light, and then nothing. He felt his body fall into darkness.

* * *

Chat’s screams tore ladybug apart from the inside out.She heard her own screams mix with his own, but it was too late. The stupid cat had jumped in the way so that she didn’t get sent to an alternate dimension. Instead she had to watch in horror as his body collapsed to the ground. She ran towards him with tears in her eyes, praying that his miraculous had somehow protected him. She didn’t notice the Switcher slip away with a smile on his face. She hardly noticed as the barriers trapping the civilians of Paris fell. Instead she was focused solely on an unconscious Chat.

“Chat wake up,” she begged, trying to shake him awake. “Please Chat, I can’t do this without you.” It was true. In recent months ladybug had realized that despite his flirtatious nature Chat was always there to help her. Despite her shaking him the cat remained unconscious. She hoped that he was still her Chat Noir. That her chat wasn’t stuck in some dangerous alternate reality. She felt tears spring to her eyes thinking of all the possibilities. That is when the Chat lying beneath her groaned. 

“Oh thank heavens that you are awake!” She practically hollered, giving him a giant hug. Inside she was still hoping that this was in fact her Chat. The cat that would create terrible puns and make her feel uncomfortable. The boy that knew exactly what to say to make her blush despite herself. The partner that she never knew she needed until she had him. 

“Ladybug, get off of me,” The cat muttered, shoving her away. “You now how I feel about physical contact. Especially with you.” He voiced the word you like it was unclean. Unworthy of his presence. Ladybug felt something inside of herself break as her fears were confirmed. No matter how much he looked like Chat, or sounded like Chat, the person beside her was not Chat noir.


	2. Replaced

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug experiences a Chat Noir that could not be more different from her own.
> 
> Meanwhile the real Chat Noir continues to experience the most confusing night of her life.

Ladybug felt her body go numb as the Chat Noir before her got up and brushed himself off without a care in the world. Although he had the same face as her Chat his face was warped into a frown that made the boy almost unrecognizable to her. He looked around the street at the bodies that were scattered everywhere, not even batting an eye. Ladybug wasn’t sure what worried her more; the fact that he didn’t seem overly concerned to see unconcious bodies everywhere, or the fact that he had been awake for 2 minutes and had not looked at her even once. She had grown so accustomed to always having her Chat’s eyes on her that she felt raw without that constant contact from him. Realizing what she had just thought, ladybug shook her head angrily and stood up from where Chat had left her kneeling on the ground.

Chat was busy wandering around the street mindlessly checking assorted people for a pulse when the police and media arrived. Ladybug was busy watching the strange behavior of this Chat and hardly noticed their arrival. She watched the Chat compose himself, as if he was getting ready for the camera. He smiled at a newscaster who proceeded to run right by him without even batting an eye. Ladybug watched at Chat’s face turned from a fake smile to that of confusion as the media and police surrounded her. She lost him in the crowd as the number of people screaming her name rose. For a moment her attention was turned back to all of the other victims. She gave a brief statement to both the media and the police explaining that some of the people of Paris would not be themselves until she could track the Switcher down. These people would be different versions of themselves. This led to mass hysteria in the media that took Ladybug too long to calm down. Her heart hurt, and all she wanted to do was go home and scream into her pillow. Still she had a duty of ladybug to uphold, especially since Chat was trapped Lord knows where.

After the media was calmed down effectively Ladybug heard her earrings give their signature warning beep. She looked around for Chat Noir desperately, but couldn’t find any sign of him. She was desperate to find him, but it would have to wait. She needed to get to a place where she could transform. The media waved her off, they were busy speaking into their respective cameras about the latest Akuma tragedy. Missing Alya’s presence at these impromptu press conferences that always seemed to follow and akuma attack ladybug excused herself. Silently she rounded a corner onto an empty an empty alleyway and pulled out her yo-yo, ready to propel herself to a hiding spot. That is when she felt a strong hand grip her wrist. She felt her body spin around to face Chat Noir. His face was annoyed, to say the least.

He shoved her up against an alleyway wall, making it clear he didn’t want her to go anywhere.

“Let me go you... you jerk,” Ladybug growled. She wanted to be anywhere but there. This Chat Noir’s touch was like acid to her. It was a stark contrast from the way she felt when her Chat touched her. She felt reassured, knowing that someone always had her back. Not like the person who stood before her now. The more she looked at him the easier it was to see the differences between him and the playful kitty that she was used to.

“What the hell is going on?” Chat asked angrily, his breath heavy on her cheeks. “Why would the media ask you any questions? Where did all those unconscious people come from? And what in the world happened to my costume? Is this a bell?” If those were his priorities then this Chat was in for a rude awakening. He seemed more annoyed by the fact that the media went to her than he did that there were countless people littered all over the streets of Paris. She opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by another round of beeping from her earrings. She sighed and looked at Chat, trying to decide what to do. Finally she had an idea. 

“There is an abandoned warehouse not far from here,” She explained giving him the exact street address. “Don’t go home, go there. I’ll meet you there in about an hour.” 

Chat didn’t move. For a second she was worried that she was going to transform right in front of him. Then he frowned and let her go. He started to walk away then turned to look at her, as if confused. “You sure seem to be in a particularly un-flirtatious mood tonight, how out of character for you.” He commented before disappearing into the night. Ladybug pressed her back against the cold brick wall that Chat had shoved her against, a hole in her heart forming.

“You have no idea,” She whispered to herself as her transformation released. As Tikki nibbled on a piece of bread from Marinette’s purse her thoughts traveled to her Chat. The Chat that she had just been talking to had made it sound like Ladybug was always flirting with him. If that was true then Chat was in for a dream come true. For some reason Marinette felt a pang of jealousy in her chest. She shook the feeling off and instead turned her mind to worrying what kind of reality Chat, Alya, and a couple dozen other people had been sent to.

* * *

 

Laughter is what woke Chat up. The laughter disoriented him, it sounded almost like Ladybug, almost. 

“Good morning sleepyhead,” A soft voice cooed. It sounded like the voice came from above him, causing Chat’s eyes to snap open. He saw ladybug standing over him with a coy smile on her face.

“Ladybug,” He groaned sitting up off of the cold hard ground, instantly regretting it. His head pounded with the worst headache of his life. Everything in his mind was foggy, his memories not coming completely into focus. He clutched his head and looked up at Ladybug. “What happened?” Ladybug giggled and knelt down uncomfortably close to Chat.

“You know I was about to ask you the same question, My Love,” she murmured, wrapping her arms around him. Shock ran through Chat’s body like an electric current. 

_ My Love? This has to be a dream _ , He thought to himself.  _ Ladybug would never.... _ His mind trailed off as she ran her fingers through his hair. 

“You seem distracted tonight kitty, is everything alright?” She questioned, continuing to play with his hair. Chat couldn’t even form the words to respond. He was putty in her hands.  Even if this was a dream it was the more than triple the amount of physical contact Chat got with Ladybug in a month. He leaned into her hand purring slightly. If she wasn’t careful he would melt right out of this world.  _ Out of this World.  _ Suddenly Chat’s head began to clear as memories of the night's events came flooding back into his head.  _ The Switcher. The Pain. The Alternate Universes. _

“Oh,” Chat muttered. He was in an alternate universe. No matter how much it felt like reality, it was not his reality. That meant that the girl playing with his hair was in no way his lady. She was a mere impostor. Despite himself, Chat felt disappointment boil in his gut.  For one stupid moment he thought that he had finally won Ladybug’s heart, but he hadn’t. Some other Chat Noir had. Some Chat Noir that was now in his reality. Some Chat Noir that was now able to work his charms on his own lady. An angry growl escaped his throat, and he shoved the imposter off of him. 

The imposter fell backwards, landing on her butt. “Ah there is the Chat Noir that I know and love, I thought that you had finally had a change of heart, but no. You still brush off my flirting as if it is meaningless.” She pouted. She crossed her arms and looked at Chat disappointed. Chat looked at her confused, but also relieved. The Chat Noir in this reality didn’t have feeling for Ladybug, and as much as that confused him he realized that that meant there was no way he would be using his “Charms” on ladybug anytime soon. 

“Thank the Heavens,” Chat breathed. From beside him he heard the Imposter let out a cry of frustration.

“Wait you are glad you don’t have feelings for me!” She threw her hands up into the air exasperated, “I’d have half a mind to leave you right now....” She looked directly into Chat’s eyes. It was clearly a challenge. She was testing to see how he would react, but Chat had no idea what to say. That is when his ring beeped. He was reminded that his transformation wouldn’t last forever.  _ Crap. _ “Ah, saved by the bell.” Ladybug smiled, her threat of leaving him already forgotten. “Well until the next time, kitty.” She called over he shoulder already leaving. That it is when it struck Chat that he could use the Imposter’s powers of Miraculous Ladybug to cleanse the city, and maybe send Chat home. 

“Wait,” Chat called out to her. He watched the imposter skid to a halt. Then she turned to look at Chat, her face slightly red. 

“What is it?” She asked gently. Her eyes were hopeful, and for a split second Chat felt sorry that he wasn’t going to say what she wanted to hear. It couldn’t be helped. His feelings for Ladybug only extended to his lady. None of the alternate universe ladybugs qualified. 

“I--- I need your help with something,” He stated simply. Ladybug’s face fell, but she composed herself quickly.

“Anything for you,” she hummed moving towards him.

“I--” Chat began, but he was cut off by the beep of her earrings. 

“Can it wait until later Chat?” I’m about to transform, and it is getting late. As much as it pained Chat he had to agree. “We’ll meet up here tomorrow, say 4 in the afternoon.” She added.

“4!” Chat exclaimed. That would mean he would be stuck in this world a full day.

The imposter smiled at him, “It can’t be helped, I have school. Besides. It’ll just mean that you will be thinking of me all day long.” With that she lept away into the night, leaving Chat alone with his thoughts.

His ring beeped again and his transformation lifted. Plagg appeared before him with a deep look, for a split second Adrien worried that Plagg hadn’t been sent to the Alternate Universe with him, but the fear quickly faded. 

“Where the heck are we?” Plagg asked, “It doesn’t smell like cheese here. I don’t like it.” The Kwami seemed annoyed, but then again Plagg seemed annoyed whenever he didn’t have a piece of Cheese in his sights. Adrien rose from the ground and patted Plagg gently on the head. 

“Don’t worry Plagg, I’ll get us to a place with cheese soon,” He told him. Plagg cocked his head and looked at Adrien confused. “What?” Adrien asked, obviously confused.

“Why are you speaking english, It is your worst subject.” Plagg queeried.  _ English!  _ Adrien frantically turned a corner, leaving the alleyway that he had just been in. He whipped his head in every direction, looking for a familiar landmark. Eventually he found one, but it wasn’t the landmark he was looking for. In the distance he could just make out a waterline, and in the light of the rising sun, he could see the statue of liberty in the water. 

“Plagg,” He whispered shakily, “I think we are in New York.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you may have realized the alternate Reality Chat Noir is not Felix. A couple of you asked me about that here and a couple more of you asked me about it on my tumblr (fieryslytherin in case you were curious). That doesn't mean he won't show up later, so don't let the disappointment get to you. (Trust me, that did not spoil anything ;))
> 
> Anyways thanks for all the support on this, and I hope you continue to enjoy this.


	3. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug continues to be frustrated with the Chat Noir she is faced with. It stirs up feelings she doesn't know how to describe for her own Chat Noir.
> 
> Meanwhile Adrien discovers that while some people have not changed in his alternate reality, some people have become much worse versions of themselves.

It took Marinette longer that she had hoped to reach the warehouse where she had led the Chat Noir to. The sun had begun to rise, a sure sign that her father would be waking up soon to start making the bread for the morning. She had not choice but to slip home, just to leave the house again through the front door. She claimed she was going to check on Alya, since she had heard that Alya had been affected by the latest Akuma attack.... Again. Her father had laughed and told her to be careful. Marinette had nodded and fled from the bakery, with two coffees in hand.

Once she had transformed it was just a matter of getting to the warehouse, but by the time she arrived the Chat Noir was pacing back and forth across the floor of the building obviously angry to have been kept waiting.

“You are late,” Ladybug felt something break inside of her as she realized that those were the exact same words she had said to her Chat Noir not a few hours ago. He spat grabbing a Coffee from her hands without even asking. He sipped it a couple of times before looking at Ladybug’s face. She was angry, and was sure it showed. “Woah, that’s a new look for you ladybug.” He commented, but he didn’t seem bothered. “I like it, suits you much better than the constant smile and doe eyes you have plastered across your face.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Ladybug questioned, with each passing second the Chat Noir before her was becoming more and more annoying.

“Just that I find it stupid to fall in love with your partner. It makes you look like a fool,” Fury boiled up inside of Ladybug as she realized that in a way this boy was insulting her Chat Noir. As if on impulse she knocked the coffee out of his hands.

“Hey--”

“Listen here you punk,” Ladybug cut him off. She grabbed him by his collar and pulled him in close. She glared at the Chat, wanting to strangle the life out of him.

“Ouch, Ladybug you are hurting me,” He cried like a little girl. His cries snapped Ladybug from the rage that she had found herself in.  _ Why am I acting like this? _ She asked herself.  _ It isn’t like I have feelings for Chat or anything. _ Even as those thoughts entered her head her heart beat a little faster. She shook the thought and turned her attention back to the Chat in her hands.

“Listen, I don’t like you. You are just a cheap knockoff of a much better version of you, but right now you are the only partner I have. So shut up, sit down, and listen to what I have to say if you really want answers to your questions.” She shoved Chat away from her, her breath heavy. Yelling at him had only made her anger return. The Chat’s face was hard, her Chat would have broken into a thousand pieces had she ever yelled at him like that, and for some reason that made Ladybug even madder. She yearned to have her Chat back, not this sorry replacement. 

To his credit Chat plopped on the ground and looked up at her, ready to listen. He didn’t seem happy about it, but he also seemed intrigued. Ladybug was sure that his Ladybug would never speak to him like that. Not if she was as flirtatious as Chat made her sound. Again she felt jealous pang in her chest as she imagined the situation Chat was in. No doubt he was head over heels with the idea that there was a ladybug out there that actually flirted with him.The Chat sitting on the ground cleared his throat, pulling ladybug from her thoughts. She turned to look at him, he had an annoyed look on his face.

“Well?” He frowned, “I’m waiting for an explanation.” Ladybug glared at him, hating him more and more with every passing moment. He cocked his head to one side, not caring. She sighed and quickly summed up what had happened thus far. The Switcher, Her stupidity, and Chat’s Sacrifice. For the most part the Chat sat on the ground and listened, keeping a blank look on his face. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but she was sure it was something condescending and stupid about her Chat.

“That explains the sudden appearance of the Eiffel tower,” Was his only reply. 

“Really?” Ladybug queried, “You aren’t from Paris?”

“No,” he laughed, his laughter was foreign to her. It was much different than that of her own Chat. In a way it repulsed her. “I’m from New York.” Ladybug felt her stomach drop.  _ New York?  _ That meant that Chat was stuck in a city that was completely foreign to him. He was all alone. She needed to get him home, no matter what it took.

* * *

 

_ New York.  _ Adrien hated New York. He backed into the alleyway that he had just emerged from and sat down on the ground, trying to get his bearings. His father dragged Adrien to New York for a few weeks every year. His final week in town was always Fashion week, without fail fashion week would turn into his worst nightmare. He groaned inwardly, apparently in this reality Adrien's father had found some reason to move him to New York permanently. The thought made Adrien sick. He put his head in his hands, not wanting to do anything besides stay in that alleyway until the Imposter Ladybug returned. That is when his clothing caught his eye. His was dressed in a sweater vest and khakis. Not exactly his own style. Even his clothes disgusted him. He leaned his head against the wall as Plagg flew around in circles, muttering something about how he hadn’t been in New York since the 20's. Adrien closed his eyes. He was exhausted, if he had to be stuck in his worst nightmare the least he could do is catch up on some sleep. 

That was he thought he could until his phone started ringing. It took Adrien a painfully long time to realize that it was his phone, and not some random strangers, that was ringing. The ringtone was screamo music-- of all the things. Adrien stuck out his tongue in disgust. “You know Plagg, I think I would hate this version of myself,” He muttered before looking at his phone. He was so captivated by how nice it was that he almost missed the phone call altogether. The phone was sleek and new. It looked to be next gen material, a couple of years away from reaching the market. He let out a breath of awe as he realized that it was his dad who was calling.  _ Shoot.  _ He frantically pressed the accept button and pressed the receiver to his ear.

“Where have you been,” His father started talking, even before Adrien had a chance to say hello. Some people don’t change, no matter what reality you were in.

“Good morning to you too, dad.” Adrien muttered.

“Don’t be cute with me young man. Nathalie woke up this morning to find you gone... again. Do you know how worried we have been. We have been searching the entire city for you. This is my fifth phone call this morning.” Adrien pursed his lips, listening to his father. Somehow he felt right at home, getting a lecture from him. “Tell me where you are right now, we will give you a ride to school.” 

_ School. Great, a nightmare of embarrassment waiting to happen.  _ Adrien groaned and stood up, motioning for plagg to hide in his pant pocket. He walked out of the alleyway again and looked for the closest street sign. He gave it to his father, who told him to stay put. A limo arrived in front of him not ten seconds later. Either they had been in the neighborhood or his father had ordered the driver to get there as fast as possible. As he slid in he noticed that the driver was none other than the gorilla.  _ The gorilla came to New York with us? How odd.  _ He turned his attention to his father and Nathalie, who both had their arms folded and they were very upset. 

“I have half a mind to lock you up and throw away the key,” His father glared. He had fire in his eyes, and Adrien knew that he was very very angry. “Once you get home from school today consider yourself grounded. You are not to leave the house, except to go perform on broadway. But that is it. Are we clear?”  _ Preform? On Broadway? _ Apparently in this reality Adrien wasn’t a model, he was an actor. “Are we clear?” His father growled again. All Adrien could do was nod. His fear for his father was strong, no matter what reality he was in. “Good, now get out we are at school.” 

Adrien stepped out onto the sidewalk. He turned in time to see the car skid away, his heart pounding in fear. Plagg lept out of Adrien’s pocket. “Man, I guess your dad is always gonna be a jerk huh kid?” The kwami observed.

“You have that right,” Adrien agreed.

“It’s strange, considering that Ladybug seems so different. Yet your father is practically the same person.”  Adrien nodded and shoved Plagg back into his pocket, walking into the school building. By the looks of it, he was at a private school. That explained the sweater vest and khakis he was wearing, it looked exactly like everyone else’s clothing in the school. Yet it wasn’t the clothes of the students that bothered him, it was more their faces. Everyone in the building were his schoolmates in Paris. That explained why the Gorilla was Adrien’s driver this morning. For whatever reason, everyone he knew lived in New York in this reality. 

With that in mind it didn’t take Adrien long to find his classroom, he just followed the crowd of his classmates. As he neared the classroom he heard commotion coming from inside. He took a step towards the door when he saw Alya sitting by the door with a dazed look. At least Adrien thought it was Alya. The girl had her hair cut short. The haircut looked good on her,  but it wasn’t the Alya that Adrien was used to. Concerned Adrien knelt down next to her. In all his excitement Adrien had forgotten that his Alya had also been touched by the switcher, but judging by the disoriented look on her face Alya had also be swapped into this reality. 

“Hey are you okay?” Adrien asked kindly. Alya looked at him with tears in her eyes.

“Adrien...” She trailed off.

“It’s alright, just tell me what’s going on.” He comforted her. Adrien was confused. What was making Alya cry like that. She was such a strong girl, and she had gone through strange Akuma attacks before.

“I--- It's just I never expected Marinette to..” She paused, looking at Adrien warily.

“Alya, don’t worry. I was affected by the Switcher attack too. Just tell me what is going on.”

Alya breathed a sigh of relief. Obviously she was glad to have someone else go through this with her. “Adrien it’s horrible. It’s Marinette. She’s.... She’s a monster.” Adrien felt his heart hammer.  _ Monster? _ He couldn’t imagine the sweet girl who sat behind him as being anything other than sweet. It was a foreign concept to him. He rose from his crouching position and walked through the doorway to the classroom.

The commotion that he had heard earlier turned out to be Marinette. She was busy harassing all of the students that were already in the classroom. Adrien watched in horror as she pulled a wad of gum out of her mouth and stuck it in Rose’s hair. Horror filled him as he watched her throw her head back and laugh, her pigtails swinging from side to side. She seemed to be enjoying herself. Enjoying the fact that all of her classmates were cowering in fear of her. He could almost make out Chloe’s laughter in the background, but the roaring in his ears had drowned her out. Marinette, the nicest girl he had ever met, had become the exact kind of girl that he hated. Marinette had become a Chloe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor poor Adrien is having a rough day. I'm really excited for the next few chapters, we have some interesting things that are gonna play out. So stick around and enjoy the fun :)


	4. Thinking of You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Marinette runs into Adrien at the school she is confused by why he is acting so different.
> 
> Adrien realizes that he has another reason to get home as quickly as possible.

Marinette was going to be late for School. The cat and her had spent all morning trying to devise a plan for beating the switcher. They had almost gotten a plan figured out when the thought of school shot through her like an arrow. Frantically she had left Chat alone, hoping he could somehow find a way to survive a whole day without her. She gave him strict orders to meet her back at the warehouse in exactly 8 hours. The cat had nodded, obviously annoyed that he would have to wait for any amount of time at all. She didn’t care. She had ceased to care about anything that that Chat Noir thought or felt.

So without another thought she had transformed back into Marinette and made her way towards the school. Before flying into Marinette’s purse Tikki scolded her that she was going to be late for school. Without another word the Kwami had flown into her purse out of sight. Marinette sighed Tikki was right. She had wasted too much time with the cat that morning that she was guaranteed to be late. She didn’t care about that either. Her teachers could yell and her parents could ground her, but when it boiled down to it getting her Chat home was more important than anything else. 

She sighed as she turned a corner, she was so preoccupied by her own thoughts she didn’t even notice anyone on the other side of the corner. Marinette felt her body collide with another person. Horrified she looked at the party that she had run into, only to see Alya standing there. 

“M-marinette!” Alya stuttered. At the sight of Marinette she had turned as white as a ghost, “I’m, I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you there and I...” She trailed off, somehow turning paler with each passing sentence. Her eyes were as wide as saucers and Marinette could see her reflection in them. 

She chuckled a little, “Alya are you alright? You seem a little worried.” She reached out to touch Alya’s arm, but Alya jerked away.

Alya turned still pale. “I’m fine,” was her only response.

“Well ok, Let’s get to school before both of us are late...” Marinette suggested completely confused. Alya seemed different, that much was obvious. As they walked in silence it took Marinette an embarrassingly long time to remember that Alya had been swapped as well. By the time she remembered they had entered the doors to the school, and Alya had fled into the crowds of students that were hurrying to make it to class on time.

Marinette kicked herself internally. The stupid cat she was presently dealing with had gotten under her skin so much she had completely forgotten about Alya for just a moment. She slowed to a halt as her heart grew heavy. The way that the alternate Alya had reacted to Marinette made her fear for her friend. The alternate Alya seemed scared of Marinette, as if she was sure that Marinette would do something terrible for simply running into her. The thought gripped her stomach, making her feel completely sick. The police had said that Alya was the only minor that had been affected by the latest akuma attack. That everyone else, outside of Chat, was an adult. That meant she was completely alone without a single friend to help her through the hard time. Marinette’s only consolation was that her Alya was strong, just like her Chat. Both of them would hopefully be able to handle themselves while Marinette tried to fix the current mess that they were in. 

The halls cleared, signaling that class had started for the day, but Marinette still couldn’t move. Too many thoughts were whirling through her head that she could hardly even see straight. She feared she would never move again until she felt a warm arm wrap around her shoulders. Electricity filled her body. Marinette slowly turned to see a beautiful blonde boy with green eyes standing there, a look of concern on his face. Marinette felt her heart hammer as she panicked and jumped away.  _ Stupid, now you look like you hate him. _ She kicked herself internally for the second time that morning.

Adrien smiled at Marinette, “Are you alright, you seem distracted this morning.” he asked.

“I.. ha... yeah I’m fine don’t worry about me.” Marinette responded. She was sure that she was making a complete fool of herself in front of Adrien, but she didn’t know how to stop herself.

“If you say so my sweet.” He responded with a slight grin.  _ My sweet? _ The words echoed in Marinette’s head, sending her into a frenzy. Adrien never talked like that. He took a step towards her, but Marinette panicked again and took a step away. She felt a cold hard wall press into her back as she realized that she had nowhere else to go.

“I--- Adrien are  _ you  _ alright as well? You seem a little... off today.”

Adrien didn’t respond, instead he took a step towards her, sending her heart into a frenzy. He pressed his hands onto the wall on either side of her head and coked his head to look at her. Marinette was paralyzed where she stood. Her hands felt clammy as her whole body trembled from the sheer shock of what Adrien was doing. It was so out of character for him to flirt with anyone let alone do what he was doing. Her heart beat faster and faster as he leaned in close to her ear. His mouth was mere inches from her when he hummed. “You aren’t pushing me away, how unlike you.” He murmured in her ear. Marinette was too busy trying to keep her heart from beating out of her chest that she almost missed what he said entirely. 

“What do you mean by that?” She queried, her voice shaky as she felt his hot breath on her neck. 

“Just that you usually have a few stern words for my by now. Not that I’m complaining, princess.”

_ Princess. _ The word vibrated in her skull as an image of Chat, her Chat entered her mind. Suddenly the last piece of a puzzle fell into place. Marinette felt like she had been punched in the gut as she realized that this was not Adrien, but an alternate universe version of him. It hadn’t made sense at first, Alya and Chat were supposedly the only people she knew that had been affected by the switcher. Yet, things fell into place with the word Princess. It was a pet name from Chat and only Chat. There was only one reason that an alternate version of Adrien would be standing before her, and use the same nickname that Chat Noir had for her.  _ Adrien is Chat Noir.  _

* * *

 

Adrien couldn’t concentrate, his thoughts kept going to the girl in pigtails that was sitting behind him.  _ Monster is a more appropriate term.  _ Adrien had thought to himself, but he shook the thought off. Instead he turned to look at the back of the classroom where Alya was sitting. For the majority of the day Alya and Adrien had sat together, trying to combat the constant presence of the evil pair that was Chloe and Marinette. Right before their last class had started Nino had come waltzing into the classroom. Without a word he had given Alya a kiss and then led her to the back of the classroom to what Adrien could only assume was their regular spot. Adrien was glad to see Nino wasn’t that much different, besides an obvious hate for Marinette. Whenever he glanced back at the couple Nino was either looking longingly at Alya or he was giving Marinette a dark look. Not that Adrien could blame Nino all that much. The Marinette in this reality was terrible and ruthless. It hurt him to see someone that he associated with kindness seem so cold. 

His mind turned to the Marinette in his own reality. Surely by now she had been given news of the switcher event. He could only imagine how worried she would be about Alya. No doubt she would somehow hunt down Ladybug and demand that she allow Marinette to help her get Alya back. Adrien chuckled at the thought. Marinette and Ladybug were the two strongest people that he knew. The team up would be a perfect fit. Not for the first time it struck Adrien how much the two were like each other. He quickly shook the thought off, the last time he had mentioned that to Plagg the stupid Kwami had mocked Adrien, telling him it was because those were the two girls he had a crush on. Plagg was wrong, of course, but it still made Adrien panic whenever he thought about Marinette and Ladybug’s similarities. 

Instead of think about Marinette, he tried to pay attention to the lesson his supposed teacher was giving. Through the course of the day Adrien had deduced that his alter self must attend a school for performing arts, because each of his teachers seemed to care more about broadway than teaching him what they were supposed to. His latest teach was finding a way to compare the periodic table to Sweeney Todd, a feat that Adrien never wanted to see replicated. He struggled to pay attention to the pointless lesson when he felt a crumpled wad of paper hit him in the back of his head. He flipped around to see Marinette Staring at him, obviously confused.

“What’s eating you?” She whispered. Obviously the girl didn’t even care that she was talking over the teacher. Not that Adrien was surprised.

“I’m not sure what you mean.” Adrien responded.

“Well, It has been several hours and I haven’t had to get mad at you for flirting with me once, It’s messing with my head. So I just wanted to see it you were alright.”

“I’m fine.” Adrien said curtly, not wanting to continue the conversation.

“Whatever you say, loser.” She muttered, leaning back in her chair. Adrien felt anger for his alter self by what the Marinette had said. She had hinted that the Adrien of this world would at the very least flirt with her. Adrien couldn’t imagine what type of person his alter self would have to be in order to put up with this Marinette. Adrien wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

Suddenly an image entered his mind of his Alter self flirting with his Marinette. Feelings of anger boiled up inside of Adrien. If his alter self somehow found his way to school he would no doubt fling himself on Marinette. Poor Marinette being the sweet girl that she was wouldn’t know how to react. His alter self would no doubt use that to his advantage. The thought made Adrien sick. His hands clenched into fists on his desk. He couldn’t stand the thought of someone taking advantage of poor marinette like that, especially himself.

As fury raged within him the bell rang, signaling the end of the day. Without a word Adrien threw his things together and left the room. His watch read 3:45. The big red numbers were a reminder that he only had a few more minutes to get to the rendezvous point and meet up with Ladybug. Adrien was even more desperate to get home with the thought of Marinette on his brain. He needed to get back home in order to get his good for nothing alter ego away from Marinette. He burst out of the school and hid behind a brick wall, transforming into Chat Noir. He then jumped into action. He  quickly headed for the alleyway where he would find the Imposter, and his way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alya will be just fine, it looks like she had Nino to help her through the hard time, even if it isn't her Nino. In other news Chat Noir's reveal was the most anti climatic thing ever. 
> 
> se la vie.


	5. Wherever You Are

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien convinces Ladybug to send him home.
> 
> Marinette is rescued by a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I'm going to bed" I said.  
> "I'm going to sleep so that I can wake up refreshed for work" I said.  
> "I don't need to write this right now, that way I can actually sleep tonight," I said.  
> "I'll post this at a reasonable time tomorrow instead of late tonight," I said.
> 
> I lied

Chat Noir did not like his alter ego’s costume. He had arrived at the alleyway before Ladybug and had propped himself up against one of the walls to wait. A clock on the other side of the street read 3:58, so to kill time Chat had begun to examine his costume. The first thing he noticed was that he didn’t have a bell in this reality, rather a v neck that opened halfway down his chest. He still had claws, but they were green. The black leather of his costume was more of a dark blue than a black as well. Overall it was a terrible design, and Chat did not enjoy it. Not that he expected anything less from his alter self. Maybe if the v neck was a little less revealing he would like it more, but Chat was quickly learning that his alter self was much too flamboyant for his own good. It annoyed Chat for some reason.

“Good evening kitty,”  _ Speaking of annoying.  _ The Imposter was standing before Chat with a ridiculous smile plastered across his face. The Imposter had the same exact face as his lady, yet somehow he hated facial expressions that he knew he would love on the real Ladybug. He remained silent, allowing the imposter to squirm for a few seconds. “So what are you in need of tonight Chat?” She asked finally. 

“I have something to tell you, but I’m not sure if you will believe me.” Chat responded. 

The Imposter smirked and crossed her arms across her chest. She tilted her head to one side, and looked at Chat with a dare in her eyes. “Try me.” She challenged. Chat sighed and looked at the girl standing before him. He had his doubts that she would be useful to Chat, but she was his best bet to get home. So he told her everything. The Switcher. The alternate universes. All of it. For the most part the Imposter remained quiet, nodding her head every once in awhile at different things that Chat said. As he reached the end of his tale he watched Ladybug. Her face was dark, and for the first time since he had arrived in that strange universe he couldn’t read what she was thinking.

“So what you are telling me is that you are not my Chat Noir,” She scowled. Suddenly her flirtatious nature had melted away. Any semblance of the Ladybug he had seen mere moments ago were long gone.

Chat nodded, trying to pinpoint what she was thinking,“Yes that is what I’m saying, and I need your help to get home.” 

The Imposter laughed. Her laughter was shrill and coarse, like nothing he had ever heard come from Ladybug’s mouth before. It was a foreign sound to him and it made him recoil. He watched in horror as the imposter’s once normal face twisted into a scowl. 

“Newsflash honey, I don’t give a shit about anyone besides my Chat Noir. Why would I help you out?” She practically growled. Chat did not like seeing Ladybug’s face distorted like that. It was almost like Marinette all over again.  _ Marinette!  _ The thought of his friend again filled him with anxiety. He hated the thought of Marinette being stuck with a much worse version of himself. He had no idea what kind of character his alter self was, but judging by the cast of people he had met in this reality he couldn’t be good. He couldn’t leave Marinette alone.

“Because by helping me you are also helping to get your Chat Noir back,” Chat responded. 

Ladybug scoffed, “I guess you can twist it like that.”

“You know it is true. If you don’t help me you will be stuck with me forever. Doomed to never get your Chat Noir back.” Chat looked at the Imposter hoping to get through to her.

The Imposter remained silent for an unnervingly long time. Chat blinked once, and then again. His stomach turned, hating the thought that he was completely dependent on the insane girl that stood before her. Finally she spoke, “Alright, I’ll do it.” Chat felt relief flood into him. Even though he hated the Imposter he was grateful for her help.

“Thank you so much!” He thanked her. The girl rolled her eyes at him.

“Don’t thank me until it works,” She murmured. 

Chat nodded and brushed himself off as the Imposter summoned her lucky charm. He watched her movements. Though the ability was the same, The imposter summoned her lucky charm entirely different than his lady. Her movements were more rigid, like that of a soldier. It was just another in a long line of reasons that this girl was different. The lucky charm appeared to reveal rope. The exact same lucky charm Ladybug had summoned at the beginning of the Switcher event. Chat smiled inwardly at the thought. His small moment of joy faded when he saw the glare on the Imposter’s face.

“If this doesn’t work I’ll personally kill you, got it,” was all she said. Chat nodded, a sad smile on his face.

“If this doesn’t work I’d gladly die,” he uttered, meaning it wholeheartedly. 

Ladybug nodded, “You have grit, I’ll give you that.” With that she threw the rope in the sky, using her miraculous ladybug abilities.

At first nothing happened. The bright light of the miraculous ladybug disappeared from the sky. Chat frowned, confused why it hadn’t worked. The Imposter opened her mouth, fire in her eyes. It looked like she had a few choice words to say to Chat. That is when a bright light pulsed from Chat. He felt a pain in his skull that caused him to scream and collapse to the ground. The pain was immeasurably worse than the time he had been touched by the switcher. This time it felt like his own reality was fighting back. It felt like his reality was pushing him away. Chat could only assume that it was because the Switcher’s powers were still in effect. His only hope was that the Imposter’s ability was enough to outweigh the power of the Switcher.

He gripped his skull as the pain intensified. The pain was hot and intense, like someone was stabbing him constantly with a hot knife. The bright light that surrounded him became even stronger until it was all that he could see. He tried to focus on something, anything that would make the pain subside. An image of Marinette came to him, and he reached for it, using her situation as motivation to get home. Another picture entered his mind, this time of Ladybug. The two were reason enough to make it home. With that he pushed through the pain.  _ For my friends.  _ He thought to himself. 

Finally the pain stopped and the light faded. He didn’t dare open his eyes, he was worried by what he would see. Instead he breathed in and out a few times trying to calm his nerves.

“What are you doing you silly kitty?” He heard a kind voice say. His eyes snapped open to see ladybug standing before him, but that wasn’t a good enough sign if he had made it back. Fighting through his dizziness he tried to turn to find out where he was. The last thing he saw before passing out was the eiffel tower. He had made it back to Paris.

* * *

 

Marinette felt a million emotions at once erupt inside of her. Shock. Embarrassment. Anger. Desperation. Dread. All those feelings and more were spinning inside of her, blurring her vision and making it even more difficult to concentrate than it once was.  _ It can’t be true, Adrien can’t be Chat.  _ She tried to tell herself, but the more she thought that the more she knew Adrien was Chat. It made so much sense. His excuses for where he went during akuma attacks were just as lame as her own. It was pure stupidity that Marinette had not noticed sooner. She wondered if Adrien had noticed, or if he was just as clueless as she was.

The Adrien in from of her cleared his throat cutting her out of her thoughts. She had become so distraught by the thought that Adrien and Chat Noir were the same people that she had entirely forgotten the boy in front of her. Something that Alya would never let her live down if she was there. 

“Yes, what?” Marinette huffed impatiently. Adrien frowned, obviously annoyed by the lack of attention he was receiving.

“Ah there is the girl I know and love. The stupid one. The one that doesn’t even know what a great thing she has,” He practically growled. He moved his hand from the wall and grabbed Marinette’s chin. With the other hand he fluidly grabbed her wrist and pinned it above her head in an uncomfortable position. “No matter you see a lot easier to play with than my own Marinette.” He leaned in obviously with the intent to kiss her. He had a dark look in his eyes, as he looked at her the way that a child would look at a toy. 

Marinette’s eyes widened in fear as she tried to shove the boy away with her free hand, but he was too strong. Her heart began to beat in fear as she realized that she was completely at this Adrien’s mercy. “Let go of me,” she cried out. In a last ditch effort she tried to squirm away, but this only made Adrien smile. She could feel his hot breath against hers again as his lips were mere millimeters away from hers. In desperation she tried to move her head away, to save herself from him. He chuckled and held her head firmly in place. She closed her eyes in fear when suddenly Adrien’s strong hands disappeared.

Marinette’s eyes flew open to see Nino now standing between her and Adrien. Nino’s hands were clenched into fists and one of them was dripping blood. She turned to look at Adrien to see that he had a bloody nose. She connected the dots, Nino had punched Adrien in the face.  _ Nino saved me. _

“Dude what the hell is wrong with you?” Nino hissed angrily. Adrien didn’t respond, he simply glared at the two of them. Nino glared back at his best friend. Marinette felt gratitude in her heart. Nino surely had no idea what was going on with Adrien yet, but he was still willing to protect Marinette, like a true friend. Adrien’s eyes darted from Marinette back to Nino then back to Marinette again. The fake Adrien the huffed and turned to storm away. “You aren’t worth the trouble anyway,” He barked over his shoulder before disappearing around a corner.

Nino turned to look at Marinette. “Are you alright?” He asked. He was obviously concerned for Marinette. Nino had dark circles under his eyes, he obviously didn’t sleep much last night after he had heard about Alya. Now here he was saving Marinette.

“I’m fine. It’s Adrien i’m worried about. I think he was affected by the switcher as well.” She confessed. Nino nodded, obviously this thought had already occurred to him. The Adrien they knew would die of horror if he knew what his alter self had done. 

“I wonder how the cops missed him,” Nino mused after a few seconds of silence. Marinette felt panic in her heart. Nino surely would put the pieces together and deduce that Adrien was Chat Noir just like she had. She opened her mouth to try and dissuade him from those thoughts when the heard a piercing scream from around the corner. 

Their thoughts forgotten the two followed the screams to seen Adrien engulfed in light. He was clutching his skull tightly, obviously in pain. It was the exact same thing that had happened to Chat Noir right before he had been replaced. Marinette felt relief rush over her as she realized that Chat must have gotten the Ladybug in that reality to use her lucky charm and bring him back into this reality. She waited anxiously as Adrien’s screaming stopped and the light faded. During his screams Adrien had fallen to the ground due to the pain.

Marinette crouched next to Adrien and touched him on his arm. It took him a few moments, but his eyes fluttered open. He seemed confused to see Marinette there.  _ He must have been expecting Ladybug,  _ She thought. She felt a pang of jealousy for herself, and the love that Chat-- and by association Adrien-- had for Ladybug. 

“Adrien, are you alright?” She asked, brushing her own thoughts aside. She and Nino looked at him in anticipation as the boy blinked once, and then again. The confusion did not seem to lift from his face. Finally he responded in a cold tone.

“Who the hell is Adrien? You both know my name is Felix.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw Nino is the best.
> 
> In case you guys didn't figure it out Adrien, the real Adrien, was wrong. He did not make it home. Everyone's rough day is only gonna get worse. 
> 
> Until next time! 
> 
> I need to sleep.


	6. Over It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien goes to talk to who he thinks is his Marinette.
> 
> Marinette has to make a split second decision.

Chat Noir’s mind felt like putty when he came to. He wasn’t sure how long he had been unconscious. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Everything hurt, and he was sure that he would have pain in all kinds of strange places for weeks. He massaged his temples as he sat up slowly. At some point during his unconsciousness Ladybug had left him alone. No doubt she was about to transform back into her civilian form. She had left a note laying beside Chat that he picked up to read. 

 

> _ Chat, we need to talk about what happened. Soon. Meet me at the usual spot tonight at 7pm. -Ladybug _

 

Chat tilted his head to one side,  _ Usual Spot?  _ He couldn’t think of what she was talking about. Maybe she and the alternate Chat had set up a usual spot while he was gone. Whatever the reason, he had to find his lady to let him know that the looser version of him was gone. He was sure that the thought would be a relief to Marinette.  _ Marinette!  _ The name rang in his head as visions of what his alter self might have done danced in his head. He felt mortified just thinking about it. From the corner of his eye he could see a clock that read 5:55. He had a little over an hour until he had to meet up with Ladybug. That gave Chat ample time to track down Marinette and explain the situation to his friend. 

He transformed, and Plagg gave him this knowing look. “What?” Adrien demanded, though he already knew what Plagg was going to say.

“You are going to see her aren’t you?” Plagg guessed.

Adrien turned away from the Kwami and continued down the street, obviously headed in the direction of Marinette’s home, “See who? I have no idea what you are talking about.”

Plagg snorted, “You are turning red kid,” Adrien didn’t respond, so Plagg continued, “You and I both know who I am talking about. Besides, what if Marinette doesn’t want to see you? What if your alter self did something so horrible she never shows her face in public again?” He was mocking Adrien. That much was obvious. Annoyed adrien shoved Plagg into his shirt pocket. 

His clothing was different from Adrien’s usual wardrobe. His alter self must have found the only different style shirt in Adrien’s closet and decided that that was the shirt that he would wear to school. It felt like something his alter self would do. Though he would never meet the other version of himself Adrien felt like the boy would have last impacts on his life. Especially if he kept to the theme of the rest of that world. It would mean that his poor friends had just lived through a day of hell with his alter self. He felt sorry for Nino and Marinette. They had to deal with both the fact that Alya was swapped, and a douchebag version of himself. Unlike Alya, they wouldn’t have an explanation for why or how Adrien was acting so strange. 

He rounded a corner as he saw Marinette’s Parent’s Bakery come into view. The windows were painted differently, they must have redecorated while Adrien was in the Alternate Universe. He took  a step towards the bakery when he saw a girl with long dark ponytails exit the bakery. Immediately Adrien knew it was Marinette. She had a bounce in her step, obviously happy about something.  _ Good, at least my alter self didn’t take the happiness out of her.  _ He began to walk briskly towards her when he noticed she had something in her hands. They looked like tickets to something, but Adrien couldn’t tell exactly what they were for. 

He tried to keep up with Marinette’s speed, but she was so filled with energy that she was moving more quickly than Adrien had expected. By the time he had caught up with her they were at the park. She had stopped a few feet away and began whipping her head back and forth. She was looking for someone, but Adrien couldn’t tell who she was looking for.  _ Now’s my chance.  _ Adrien told himself. He had to tell Marinette what happened while she was free. He wouldn’t tell her the whole story-- he would leave out anything to do with Chat Noir obviously. But he knew that he had to tell Marinette something. She deserved an explanation for why things might have been strange the past few days. He needed to tell her that he was sorry if he had been an idiot recently, but it was fine now because he was home. He was home and she wouldn’t have to deal with any other alternate versions of him.

He took another step towards her, and her eyes locked on him. Excitement seemed to spread across her face, which surprised Adrien. Maybe his alter self had not made it to school to torment Marinette. Perhaps she had escaped the previous day without any form of torment. Relief flooded into his heart at the thought of that. He waved at her, excited that he wouldn’t have to rebuild any broken friendship with her. The girl looked even more excited when Adrien waved at her. She quickly walked towards him with the tickets outstretched in her hands, a huge smile on her face. The smile was warm and inviting, a sight for sore eyes after being stuck in a hellish dimension for the past day. _At least_ _I’m home now._

Marinette bridged the gap between them. She seemed excited to see him, but also seemed to be afraid by what Adrien might say next. “Good afternoon Felix,” Marinette cooed.  _ Felix?  _

Anxiety swept through Adrien as he realized he still hadn’t made it home, just to a reality that was very very similar to his own. Chills ran through his spine as he realized that this again, was not his real friend, but an alternate copy of her. The last Ladybug’s lucky charm hadn’t worked. Panic gripped him tightly.  _ I have to get out of here. _

“I-- I have to go,” he blurted out, before he turned and ran away. “Sorry,” He shouted over his shoulder. In his panicked state he didn’t look back to see Marinette’s arms drop to her sides in disappointment. Nor did he see the red Kwami that flew out of her purse to comfort the girl. He was too busy, trying to think of another way home.

* * *

_ Felix. Who names their Kid Felix? Felix is a stupid name. A stupid name for a stupid boy.  _ Marinette was lost in thought as class slowly inched along. After Felix had announced his name to them he had stormed away towards class with a cold frown on his face. He hadn’t stayed to chat with Nino, and had actually given Marinette an angry glare before turning to leave. He left Marinette and Nino standing in the middle of the hallway alone, both with their jaws hanging open in shock. A beat passed and then Nino threw his arms up in the air. “This is the most confusing day ever,” He proclaimed before skulking away towards their classroom. She watched the poor boy walk away, obviously confused out of his mind. Marinette felt bad for Nino. At least she knew why Adrien--  _ er Felix--  _ was acting the way he was. Nino didn’t have a clue. With that thought of pity she followed the two boys into the classroom.

The class was in Chaos. Alya had just finished screaming. Chloe had called it “the stupidest lightshow ever.” Some student seemed spooked. Others annoyed. It took the teacher a huge chunk of class time to even settle down her class, let alone get on with the lesson, but like any good teacher she somehow brought the attention of the class back to the lesson when she brought out the threats of detention.

The day had dragged along slowly after that.. It quickly became clear to Marinette that for whatever reason this version of Alya was a mute, or just didn’t see a reason to talk to Marinette at all. Instead Alya looked at the front of the room with a brain dead look on her face; leaving Marinette with nothing to do but glare at the back of Felix’s head. Her goal throughout the day was to develop super secret powers she didn’t know she had and bore hole in the back of Felix’s head using only her eyes.  Felix seemed cold and uncaring, mostly to Marinette. Whenever she had answered a question of the teacher’s Felix would snort as if she had made a joke. As if she was a joke. Marinette would have found it more hurtful if it wasn’t for the fact that she didn’t give a crap about him. Instead it just made her hate for him grow further. 

She glared at his head for a few more moments before turning her attention back to the lesson the teacher was giving. She didn’t have long to concentrate, from right outside their school window someone let out a scream, followed by a bright flash of light. The class burst into Chaos again. The teacher resigned herself to the fact that the lesson she had planned would never get done, and instead ordered the students to evacuate from the classroom and follow her from the classroom. 

“That stupid Akuma,” Someone muttered as they exited the classroom. Marinette eyed Felix as his eyes grew wide realization that this was an akuma attack written across his face. He slipped away from the rest of the class as they fled from the classroom, most likely to go transform into Chat Noir. Marinette sighed realizing that that must be how indiscreet she looked. If anyone had even paid her an inkling of attention her secret identity of Ladybug would have been found within days of getting her powers.

After a few more seconds the classroom was cleared out except for Marinette, Nino and Alya. Alya was still an unmoving statue, eye trained on the exact same spot that they had been on since the latest version of herself had taken over. Nino stood over their desk with a look of concern on his face as his eyes darted between the two girls.

“Marinette, we need to get out of here. Now. We don’t want anyone else to get swapped today,” He ordered. Another scream came from outside, making both of them flinch.

“Go on without me, I’ll catch up,” Marinette responded praying that Nino would just listen and leave with Alya. He didn’t.

“Marinette, today is not the day to be curious, we need to get going,” he snapped. Obviously he was getting annoyed. 

Marinette sighed, “Please Nino, just go on without me. I can handle myself,” She reiterated, hoping he would just leave. The boy didn’t respond. He simply frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes told her everything. Nino was not letting Alya’s body or Marinette out of his sights until the Switcher event had passed. Another scream came from outside, reminding Marinette she didn’t have time to escape Nino’s sights. She sighed, realizing what she had to do.

“Nino, I’m sorry you had to find out this way,” She whispered. Confusion swept over his face again, replacing the determination she had just seen. With that she said, “Tikki, transform me.” Once she was transformed it took everything she had to look over at her friend. He had a surprised look on his face, he was speechless. For a few moments he looked at Marinette the way that Alya was looking at the wall, brain dead.  _ Good job, you broke Nino.  _ After what felt like an eternity he spoke.

“What.. When.... How...?” he began one question after another. He was obviously not sure what to ask, let alone how to ask it. Ladybug opened her mouth when another scream sounded from outside.

“I’ll explain everything later Nino, I promise,” She called before bursting out onto the streets of Paris.

She lept onto the rooftop of a nearby building and spotted the Switcher a few blocks away. He was running, but she couldn’t tell if if was away from her, or towards his next victim. It didn’t matter, either way she needed to catch him. The switcher had already caused enough of a mess for one lifetime. She lept down from the roof, onto the street. It became clear that Ladybug was much faster than him and she would have been on his tail in seconds. She would have been if it hadn’t been for a strong hand that grabbed her wrist and smoothly pulled her into a side alleyway. The other party shoved her against the wall.

Ladybug blinked once to see Chat Noir standing before her. Annoyance crept into her heart.  _ Shoved up against a wall again, I’m getting really sick of this.  _ She thought to herself annoyed. The Chat looked at her seductively as Ladybug deduced that this Chat had feelings for Ladybug just like her own Chat so obviously did. She looked at the boy deadpan, she didn’t have time for foolish games from a cat that wasn’t even her cat. She moved to push him away when he opened his mouth to speak.

“My lady, kiss me,” He demanded.  _ Yep, getting really sick of this crap. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many people wanting to shove Mari against a wall and/or kiss her today. So many people that all share the same body. Poor girl. 
> 
> But also poor Nino. Poor boy might not ever recover from his confused state that he is in.


	7. Dying to See You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette is forced experience the unimaginable.
> 
> Adrien begins to live his worst nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yoooooo. We finally made it to the original idea that I had for this fanfic. Who would have thought that this fanfic would have evolved to where it is today. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this latest chapter.

“Get off of me you creep,” Ladybug cried, shoving Chat away. Unlike her last incident with a blonde haired boy that day he didn’t resist and let her go without protest. He had a hurt yet resigned look on his face, it was not unlike the look that her own Chat would give her when she pushed away his flirting. The look threw her for a loop, but she brushed it off as coincidence. A scream sounded from a couple of blocks away, reminding Ladybug of her pursuit of the Switcher. She took a step towards the danger when Chat spoke.

“So what is the plan?” She heard him ask. Frustration filled Ladybug to the core. She wanted nothing more than to swat the Cat with a broom, she was sick of alternate versions of Chat Noir and wanted nothing to do with him. Another scream echoed in the streets, cutting Ladybug off from making a nasty remark. The switcher had proven to be a difficult enemy, it would be impossible to defeat him without help. With a sigh she turned to look at Chat who had a wild grin spread across his face. She didn’t have time to explain the complicated details to him, so she just gave him orders that would be easy enough to follow.

“Follow my lead,” She ordered before using her Yo-Yo to leap up onto a roof. As she leapt from rooftop to rooftop she heard chat howl in delight behind her. She turned to see him leaping chaotically from roof to roof, his eyes trained on her every move. A gust of wind made his hair move in every direction. 

Ladybug rolled her eyes and came to a halt as she heard a scream come from directly below her. She peered over the edge of the rooftop and looked down at the streets below. From behind her she heard Chat skid to a halt. He joined her on the edge of the roof and followed the path of her eyes to see the Switcher’s latest trap. He let out a low whistle at the scene below. Just like the night before people were trapped in the street like caged animals.  _ How infuriating. _ They all tried to flee in every which direction from the Switcher, but every few minutes he would catch one of them. They would let out a scream, there would be a bright flash of light, and then they would drop to the ground. The whole scene was so eerily similar to the night before that it gave Ladybug deja vu. She turned to the cat perched next to her. His eyes looked at her expectantly, waiting for some form of plan. 

Her mind raced, remembering how catastrophic her last plan had been. If the switcher touched Chat yet again she was unsure what it would do to him. She had to be careful, and make sure that neither he nor the cat next to her got sent to another dimension. Either option felt like game over to Ladybug. That meant that the next plan she made needed to be perfectly executed. She glanced at the cat, then back down at the crowd.

“The first thing we need to do is get the people off the streets. I think if we somehow distract the Switcher we can lower the force fields that are keeping everyone trapped on the streets.” She pointed at the crowd as if for effect when she noticed a familiar figure in the crowd. A boy in a baseball cap, with headphones.  _ Nino!  _ She looked down in horror as he frantically whipped his head from one side to other, obviously looking for any side of ladybug. He had a fighting look in his eyes, as if he had come with the sole purpose of helping Ladybug. Knowing him, he had left Alya in a safe location and then ran in the direction of the Switcher to help.  _ Stupid boy. _ She thought in anger. Beneath the anger all she thought was fear. It was terrible to see yet another one of her friends in danger. 

Nino looked up and spotted Ladybug. He gave her a thumbs up, obviously thinking that he could be of some use to her. She wanted to scream, or punch something. She didn’t want Nino mixed up in this, she didn’t even want to have the Chat there. Yet she was stuck with both of them. In resignation she sighed and waved back at Nino, letting him know that she saw him. 

“Watch out!” She heard Chat scream from beside her. Her eyes darted around the rooftop, trying to figure out what danger he was trying to warn her of. That is when she realized he wasn’t talking to her. She whipped her head back down to the ground in horror, just in time to see the Switcher firmly plant a hand on the back of Nino’s hand. Without thinking both her and Chat leapt off of the rooftop, onto the ground. A bright flash of light came from nino, and a cry of pain escaped his lips as they landed on the ground. A few seconds passed and the boy collapsed to the ground.  _ No. _ She had lost all of her friends to an alternate dimension. She was stuck with alternate universe friends. 

The Switcher stood over Nino’s lifeless body, taking a second to gloat. It was annoying, it made Ladybug want to push him. She wasn’t the only one. Chat Noir lept towards the Switcher with a shout of anger, shoving the man to the ground. The man glared at Chat, obviously annoyed to see the superhero standing before him.

“I thought I took care of you yesterday,” The man growled, anger spread across his face. Chat eyed him confused, unsure of what the Switcher meant. The man lunged at Chat and Ladybug cried out,

“Chat don’t let him touch you,” She exclaimed. The boy leapt out of the way, jumping around the street in a chaotic and wild fashion. It was uncanny how different this Chat Noir was from Felix. It felt like they could almost be two different people. Despite her annoyance towards the boy she felt worry for him. He reminder her of a much more Chaotic version of Chat and she didn’t want to see anything bad happen to him.

It took her a few minutes to realize that Chat was trying to distract the Switcher, so that she could help the captive people escape.  _ That sneaky cat. _ She thought in awe, then she set to work. It took about 10 minutes to use her yo-yo and carry everyone onto the roof. She had to take one person at a time, but soon the only people left in the street were herself, Chat and the Switcher. She thought the Switcher would notice what they were doing and the crowds grew smaller and smaller, but Chat’s chaotic movements were so distracting that the man didn’t have time for anything else. He didn’t notice until Ladybug had delivered the last person to safety. Chat stopped and gave the Switcher a big grin.

The Switcher looked around the street, Ladybug felt a sense of accomplishment as a flash of realization and then anger burned across his face. He glared at Ladybug and took a step towards her. The cat jumped in front of her, obviously protecting her. Though she could not tell what his motives were. The Switcher’s face darkened.“You!” He exclaimed, “You are a thorn in my side that needs to go away,” He lunged towards Chat. The Cat jumped away, but he wasn’t fast enough. The Switcher’s hand brushed along Chat’s body lightly.

“No!” Ladybug cried out, terrified what would happen to her own Chat if the Switcher tried to swap him again. The cat screamed and collapsed to the ground. Fear was apparent on his face as he had no idea who the Switcher was or what he could do. Light began to emit from Chat. It was brighter than any other time before. The light pulsed once, then twice. On the third flash the light got so bright that it blinded Ladybug. She closed her eyes and looked away from the light. When the light died down her eyes snapped open in the direction of Chat. She watched as a hostless ring fell to the ground, Chat’s body gone. He had vanished, without a trace.

* * *

 

Adrien’s eyes darted around the city, trying to look for any sign of where Felix’s “usual spot” with Ladybug would be. Nothing stood out to him. Not that he expected anything to. This Paris looked similar to his own Paris, but different enough that once he looked closely it could be an entirely different city.  _ Just another tick to why I’m the biggest idiot ever. _ He internally scolded himself. It had taken him far too long to realize he hadn’t made it home yet. It had taken Marinette using a different name for him to his face for things to sink in.  _ I can be so oblivious sometimes, I wonder what else I have missed.  _ He looked up at the Eiffel Tower, wondering if Ladybug was there. He was so preoccupied with his search for his search that he almost missed someone calling his name; his real name, not Felix.

He whipped his head around, trying to figure out who was calling him. That’s when he saw Alya from across the street. She was waving frantically at him, it was clear she had deduced that they were still stuck in an Alternate Universe. Adrien smiled at her, relieved to see someone he could actually talk to. He ran over to her and gave her a hug, holding on tight. He was afraid if he let go she would slip away and he would be left alone again. 

“Thank heavens I found you!” She beamed when they finally separated from the hug. 

“I was just about to say the same thing, but how did you know that we were still in an alternate universe?” he pondered. She gave him a look that was hard to distinguish.

“I woke up in the hospital. Apparently this Alya has been in a coma for months. Everyone says it is a miracle that I recovered. It was really easy to put two and two together after that.” 

Adrien smirked, “For you, I probably still wouldn’t have noticed.”

Alya chuckled to herself. She agreed that Adrien was not the most observant person in the world. She had a knowing look on her face, but Adrien couldn’t figure out what she was thinking about. They began to walk around the city streets, as they walked Adrien kept his eyes peeled for any sign of Ladybug. She was his only chance to get.

“Adrien,” Alya uttered, cutting Adrien off from his thoughts.

“Yeah?” He smiled at her.

“There has been something that has been bothering me since I first saw you in the last Alternate Universe,” She continued.

“What’s that?” Adrien asked, suddenly nervous where the conversation was going.

“Well, it seems like you arrived around the same time as me. We haven’t seen any of our other friends affected by the switcher. So you must have been there at the same time as me, but you weren’t. The only boy that I think is close to my age was Chat Noir...” She trailed off. It wasn’t phrased as a question. It was a statement. She knew. 

“Yes, well. Isn’t that funny,” Adrien mused, trying to keep his composure.

“Adrien,” Alya grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him in close, a fiery look in her eyes. “Look me in the eyes and tell me you aren’t Chat Noir.” She ordered. He looked in her eyes, determined to answer. Yet, he knew he couldn’t lie. He looked at the ground then back at Alya.

“I can’t do that,” He stuttered out.

She had a look on triumphant on her face, she knew she had won, “And why is that?” 

“Because I am Chat Noir,” He admitted. He heard muffled cries of protest from his shirt pocket, but he ignored them. It felt good to finally tell someone and if anyone deserved to know it was Alya.

She shot him a big smile and released him, then continued to walk forward. Adrien followed after her, a little sheepish. Plagg was certainly going to give him a stern talking to later, but for the moment he felt free as a bird. 

“I had guessed as much, you were always running off. Always with those lame excuses. You were the only one in the class that always seemed to be gone during akuma attacks. Well you and--” Adrien’s screams cut her off. The searing pain that always came when he was traveling between realities had returned. A blinding flash of light had begun to grow from inside of him as well. The pain felt different that time. He didn’t know how to describe it, but it felt more like the Switcher was trying to move him out of existence altogether. That, or he was trying to move Adrien to a reality where he would no longer be a problem. 

“Adrien are you alright?” Alya asked. She seemed completely fine. She wasn’t in pain, and there was no light coming from her. That meant that he was the only one being affected. His fears were true, the Switcher had singled him out. That must have meant that Ladybug and ‘Felix’ were fighting the switcher. The stupid boy had allowed himself to get touched by the Switcher.

Adrien let out another cry as the world turned to white. This time he didn’t pass out. Instead he watched as the world slowly came into focus. Everything felt halfway there. He felt almost like a ghost, as if he wasn’t completely there. He looked around trying to get his bearing and quickly realized that he was in a graveyard. Headstones were in perfect lines. Adrien moved between them, trying to figure out why he had appeared in a cemetery. It almost felt like he was floating as he moved around the cemetery, but he ignored the feeling. He was too busy trying to figure out where the Switcher had sent him. 

That is when he saw it. A headstone that made him stop cold in his tracks and fall to his knees. His body went numb as he reached out and placed his hand on the headstone. The rock felt cold, but he didn’t mind. His fingers slightly hid the words, but he could see them nonetheless. Though he wished he could block the words out entirely.

> _ Here Lies Marinette Dupain-Cheng. A Hero. _


	8. Only Remembered

It took Adrien a painfully long time to move from his kneeling position. The reality that he had been shoved into shocked him to the core. On a deep level he understood that this reality was not his own, but it felt different than the last realities that he had been to. He couldn’t quite describe it, but it felt closer to home. Less far fetched than the last two realities. It made the horror of seeing Marinette's name on a tombstone all the worse.  _ I failed her.  _ He felt himself think. His job as Chat Noir was to protect his friends, but in this reality he failed. For whatever reason, Marinette was dead. It was his fault, he just knew it. He wanted to talk to Plagg about it, but when he searched his pockets for the Kwami there was no sign of him.  _ Where could he be. _

Lightning flashed above him and he looked up to see rolling storm clouds above him. It looked like the clouds were going to dump a river on him any second. Making the whole world feel dark and dreary, not that he was surprised. Any reality that didn’t feature Marinette’s bright and smiling face was a dark reality. His heart ached to wake up from the nightmare that he was stuck in. Thunder crashed in the distance, as if to remind him that this wasn’t a nightmare. That this was in fact a different reality. One without his first friend.

A group of girls walked by, giggling to themselves. He walked up to them, determined to figure out what city he was in this time. “Excuse me,” He called out, expecting them to turn around. Instead they ignored him and kept walking away.  _ Rude.  _ He went up to another group of people, tapping one of them on the shoulder. “Hello, I was wondering--” He was cut off as they all started laughing, completely neglecting the fact that he was there. He glared at them and walked up to a couple that was kneeling over a gravestone. The woman was kneeling on the ground, her hair blanketing her face. The man stood a little bit away from the tombstone, his hands shoved in his pocket. “Excuse me sir,” Adrien spoke. His voice was shaky, as if he was desperate to have someone acknowledge his presence. The man didn’t even turn to look at Adrien. Instead he lightly touched the girl on the back.

“It’s time to go,” He muttered. She looked up and nodded at him, the rose to her feet. The two began to walk in the opposite direction of Adrien. Exasperated Adrien ran in front of them, determined to get someone to tell him where he was.

“Excuse me,” He let out again, this time more assertive. He had a fierce look in his eyes, like the ones that his father would constantly give him.

The two walked right by him, the woman actually looked right through him, commenting on how big the tree behind him had gotten. Adrien let out a cry of frustration, throwing his hands up in the air.

“They can’t see you,” A small elderly voice said. Adrien whirled around to see an old man in a hawaiian shirt sitting on a small bench. 

“But you can?” Adrien questioned, he eyeballed the hawaiian shirt curiously. He had seen it somewhere before.

“They don’t have an open mind to see you, I do,” The man replied matter of factly. Adrien looked at him confused, wondering what he meant by that. His confusion must have been apparent because the man chuckled and patted the empty spot on the bench next to him. “Come have a seat, I’ll tell you everything, Adrien.” Adrien fell chills up his spine.  _ How does this man know my name?  _ But he didn’t ask out loud, yet. He plopped down next to the man and looked at him with curiosity.

The man had a small knowing smile on his face. As if he knew what he was about to say was going to hurt Adrien.

“Where are we?” Adrien queried.

“Well that is a complicated question,” the man mused, “If you mean what city we are located in, we are in Paris. If you want to get more technical than that we are in a crumbling reality.”

“A what?” Adrien quietly asked. 

“There are times in people’s lives when they come to a crossroads of sorts. When they choose one path, an alternate reality is created of what would happen if they went down the other path. Now, most of the time these realities are unstable. They quickly crumble away, fading into oblivion bit by bit. This is one such reality. This reality is actually a branch of your own reality, though it obviously had a much more catastrophic ending,” The man explained.

“How do you know my name then?” Adrien asked. The man smiled sadly. 

“Because you were Chat Noir,” The man stated.  _ Were?  _ The word popped out to the boy like a sore thumb. That could only mean one thing,

“I died?” He whispered. It explained why he had found himself in a graveyard. The man nodded not responding. “How did I die? How did Marinette die? Are any of my other friends dead,” He asked one question after another, not giving the man a chance to answer.

“Don’t worry. None of your other friends are dead.” Adrien breathed a sigh of relief and let the man continue talking, “As for the rest, it is a bit complicated. You died protecting Marinette from a deadly akuma attack. Unlike most akumas his primary goal was death. All he wanted to do was murder Chat Noir and Ladybug.” Adrien felt his heart drop to his feet. 

“But what does Marinette have to do with this?” Adrien asked. The poor girl had nothing to do with Ladybug or Chat Noir. The only reason he could think of was that he was Chat Noir. The akuma must have found out who he was and used her as leverage, both of them suffering the ultimate price. Adrien though he had it all figured out when the man responded to his question.

“Well, that is because she--” He trailed off, as if he was debating weather or not he should tell Adrien. He formed the words on his lips. “She WAS Ladybug.”  Adrien heard what the man said, but he couldn’t quite believe it. What the man said didn’t make sense at first. The words hung in the air like a wet cloth. He didn’t want to believe what the man said, but it made sense.  _ Marinette IS Ladybug.  _

It made sense, as he mulled it over in his head. The girl was always disappearing during Akuma attacks, just like Adrien. She was as daring and as brave as Ladybug. Marinette and Ladybug were the only two girls to make him feel the way he did. It made sense for them to be one girl. It all fit, Adrien had just been too oblivious to see it. He felt a smile form on his face and turned to look at the man sitting next to him.

“How do you know this?” Adrien questioned.

“Because I’m the man who gave you your miraculous. My name is Master Fu.”

* * *

 

Ladybug let out a shout and lept for Chat Noir’s ring, not wanting it to fall into the Akuma’s clutches. She crashed to the ground and scooped it into her hands. Gripping it tightly she looked up and glared at the Switcher.

“What did you do?” She demanded to know. “What happened to Chat Noir!” The Switcher chuckled maliciously and looked at her with a smile on his face.

“I sent him to a reality where he will no longer bother me. A reality where he is already dead,” He replied.  _ Dead?  _ Panic swept up inside of Marinette at the thought.

“And what will that do to Chat?” She asked frantically. The man smiled even wider, his teeth showing.

“Don’t know don’t care, I bet he’s dead now. Don’t worry though, you will soon join him,” He leaped at Ladybug, ready to strike. She tumbled backwards, narrowly escaping being sent to another dimension. Her heart hammered in her chest. The stakes were high. Without Chat it seemed impossible that she would win. Her partner was such an asset to her, that she didn’t know what to do without him. She hoped that Chat was alright, but there was only one way to find out.

She fingered the rope at her side, curious for what she could use it for. The rope was strong and thick, surely impossible for the Switcher to break through. The thought brought an idea to her head.  _ That’s it!  _ She tied a loop at one end of the rope, leaping out of the way of another attack from the switcher as she did it. Then she gave the switcher a glare, eyeing his movements and memorizing his patterns.

“Come here little bug,” He growled, “It’s time to squash you.” He charged towards Ladybug. She smiled and lept behind him, looping the rope around his wrist as she went. She felt the rope snag and tighten, she had caught him. Without looking behind her she swept his feet out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground. She pinned him in place as she quickly bound his hands together, careful to not be touched by his hands. She scanned him and noticed a picture in his back pocket. Perfect aromatizing material. She pulled it out. “No don’t touch that!” He exclaimed, struggling against the bindings of the rope.  _ Gotcha. _

She tore the photo in half and the akuma beneath her turned back into just a man. He groaned in pain, but Ladybug ignored him. She pulled out her yo-yo and quickly purified the butterfly, before it could do any more wrong. Frantically she then untied the man’s wrists to use the rope. She threw the rope into the sky and used her Miraculous Ladybug powers. At first nothing happened. Ladybug rose to her feet and ran to where she had seen Felix disappear. Worry gripped her chest as the spot remained empty. She clutched the ring against her chest, fearful that she had lost Chat forever.

That is when the ring in her hand burned against her skin. She dropped the ring in shock and watched it clank against the ground a few times before quickly coming to a halt. A familiar bright light came from the ring, causing Ladybug to look away yet again. When she looked back she was greeted by the familiar sight of a boy in a black leather suit. He groaned and rubbed his head slightly. Then he looked up at ladybug, a sly grin on his face. Her heart skipped a beat when he smiled, it was a smile that only her cat would be able to make.

“See my lady, I told you I would be Careful.” He announced proudly, though he wasn’t very convincing. He winced, proving that he hadn’t even convinced himself. Tears of joy came to Ladybug’s eyes and she knelt down next to him. Without a second thought she pulled him into a hug. His arms slowly wrapped around her and the duo seemed content to stay that way. She didn’t want to let go of him, fearful that if she released him from her grasp she might disappear again.

“I’m back,” She heard Chat whisper.

“You’re home,” She replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He made it home, but man does he have stories to tell.
> 
> Think there are loose ties? You are right. This part still has two more chapters. Plus there is going to be a second part to this story. If you are interested to see this story from different POVs explore Alya's and Nino's accounts of what happened. So look forward to that :)


	9. All That is Left

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get some smutt. YOU get some smutt. EVERYBODY GETS SMUTT

Adrien didn’t have much more time with Master Fu. They talked for only a few more seconds when he felt like he was being pulled back to his own reality. Unlike every other time, he didn’t feel any pain. Instead it felt like he was being restored to where he needed to be. He watched master Fu begin to fade from his vision. The man knew so much about different realities and it confused Adrien, but he figured that the man knew about a lot of things that no one else did. Master Fu faded completely from his vision and he had reappeared in his own reality.   _ Ladybug had done it! She had brought him home.  _ When he appeared in his reality he was in the form of Chat Noir, though he didn’t have much time to process it. Instead he looked at Ladybug and spoke trying to reassure her. He knew that what he said would not be convincing, but he said it none the less. Then she pulled him into a hug.

The hug filled Chat with a warmth that he hadn’t felt in a long time. When Ladybug said he was home, she was right. He was home in her arms. He never wanted the moment to end, willing the hug to stretch into the eternities. Ladybug didn’t seem to want it to end either, her grip was as tight as his. The two stayed like that until Ladybug’s earrings beeped, pulling them back to reality. Ladybug reluctantly pushed away. Then looked Chat in the eyes. “We need to talk, Tomorrow.” She demanded. Chat nodded, wanting nothing more than to tell her what he knew. It would be unfair to her to keep the secret any longer. He wanted to tell her then, but she lept away before she could say anything. All he could do was watch her leap away, thinking about the girl underneath the mask. It was only after she left that he realized they had not set a place to meet up and discuss what had happened during the akuma attack. He sighed realized that meant he would have to talk to her at school. With that thought he transformed and ran home, ready to receive a scolding from his father for the obligations that he had missed while he had been in the alternate reality. 

Sure enough his father spent a good chunk on the evening scolding him. Calling him irresponsible and all sorts of other nasty things. Adrien was relieved when his father was done with him and he fled to his room. As soon as he shut the door Plagg flew out of Adrien bag and floated in front of him.

“What happened to you when I went to the last reality?” Adrien ask, relieved to see the kwami still in one piece.

“Honestly I’m not really sure, one second I heard you screaming as we were being transported from one reality to another. The next, nothing. I was still aware that I existed, but it felt like I was residing in a white space. There was nothing and noone around me,” Adrien gave Plagg a look of sympathy. Plagg eyed Adrien and then continued, “I mean it sure took a lot out of me. I think I deserve a truck load of cheese for what you put me through during that akuma attack.” Adrien rolled his eyes, but still handed him a chunk of cheese.

Plagg snatched the cheese out of Adrien’s hands and stared at it with love in his eyes. Adrien watched as Plagg swallowed the cheese in one gulp and looked back at Adrien, obviously wanting more. Adrien obliged and the Kwami happily took it. As Plagg ate, Adrien fell backwards onto his couch completely exhausted. In the last 24 hours he felt like his body was being torn apart more times than he would have like. Everything ached, and once he was on the couch he couldn’t move. He was wiped out. He halfheartedly listened to Plagg’s scolding about admitting he was Chat Noir to Alya, but he didn’t have the energy to defend himself. He felt his eyelids go heavy and he closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, it was morning. He sat straight up and looked at his clock. He was late for school, again. Adrien threw on some clothes and sprinted out the door. Yelling some angry remarks about how Nathalie had not woken him up. The gorilla was parked outside impatiently waiting for him. He lept into the car and within moments was at the school. When he walked through the doors he was automatically filled with panic. He realized he needed to talk to Marinette, but he didn’t know how to begin the conversation. The more he thought about the girl the more flustered he became. He felt his feet slow to a halt as he tried to compose himself before entering his classroom. It was difficult, knowing he had feelings for the girl that sat right behind him in class. 

He took a deep breath, and then another. Deep inside he knew that everything would turn out alright, but he knew he had to talk to her. His only consolation was that class had already started, so he had a few hours to gather his thoughts for what he was going to say. There was still time before he had to tell her. He began to walk towards the classroom when he heard a voice from behind him.

“Hey Adrien,” the voice was a little bit shaky, as if the owner of the voice was nervous to see him. He spun around in the direction of the voice and saw Marinette standing behind him. His heart sped up as realization dawned on him. He didn’t have time to compose himself, he was going to talk to her sooner than expected.

* * *

 

Marinette was late for school for the second day in a row. She was sure Adrien would already be seated in class. The thought horrified her as she realized she would have to keep her composure, even though she had discovered that he was Chat Noir. She walked into the school to see Adrien frozen in the middle of the main area. He seemed to be lost in thought, probably about the events of the past few days. It took all the courage she had to say hi to him, for she knew what would come next. The boy turned around and she was greeted by his beautiful green eyes. Her heart flopped in her chest as the boy smiled charismatically at her. She felt her face turn red as she looked at the boy. For some reason he seemed as nervous to see her as she was to see him. 

The two stood there in silence for a long time, both looking at each other. Neither wanting to be the first to speak. Finally both seemed to work up the resolve to talk, at the same time. “I know,” They both blurted out. Then they paused. Marinette felt confusion towards what he had said. She looked at him to see he also had a confused look on his face. Each waited for the other to explain, but again the silence dragged out. Again they both spoke at the same time, “I know who you are,” They said in unison. She giggled slightly, finding the humor that they both kept talking at the same time. Adrien’s face turned slightly red, as if he was embarrassed by what had just happened. He motioned for her to continue, not wanting to cut her off again.

“You know?” Marinette asked.

Adrien nodded. “I know you are Ladybug.”   _ Well that makes things easy.  _ She thought to herself. Her partner had somehow discovered her identity during their latest adventures, just as she had discovered his.

“Just as I know you are Chat Noir,” she responded. The boy only looked slightly surprised, as if some piece of him had anticipated her catching on in his absence. 

“I see...” He murmured, closing the distance between them. His toes were against her and she had a better view of Adrien’s eyes than ever before. 

She felt her heart speed up, unsure of what to do next. Adrien must have been in the same predicament because he looked at her like a lost puppy. He was unsure of what to do next. So like the idiot she was, she started rambling.

“When the switcher touched you I felt a million emotions at once. I was scared out of my mind for one. Furious at you as well. Mostly I began to feel something that I can’t explain. Something I had only felt for one other boy before,” She trailed off as she realized what she was about to say. 

Adrien looked at her intensly as his eyes sparked. She couldn’t pinpoint what she was thinking but she could have sworn she saw jealousy there for a second. “Who?” He asked. Marinette didn’t speak for a long time. She didn’t know how to tell him the only two people she had ever had feelings for were the same people. She realized there was only one thing to do. 

She reached out and grabbed the collar of Adrien’s shirt. “Adrien Agreste,” She whispered before pressing her lips against his. At first Adrien seemed shocked, but it only took a moment for him to compose himself. She felt his arms slowly wrap around her and his lips parted. Passion filled their kiss as fireworks erupted from inside of Marinette. Within the past 24 hours different versions of this boy had tried to kiss her, but none of them mattered. The only one that did matter was before her. She felt his hands run up her spine and she felt a chill. Her hands moved from the collar of his shirt to his head, running her fingers through his golden hair. 

A few more moments of bliss passed, and Marinette chuckled to herself. Adrien slowly pushed away and looked down at her, brushing a stray hair out of her face. 

“What?” He asked. He cheeks were red.

“It’s just that.....” She trailed off for a second embarrassed by what she was about to say. “I half expected you to shove me against a wall.” Every other Adrien seemed to have the tendency to pin her against a wall, so why didn’t this one.

“The thought came to me,” He admitted, he played with a strand of her hair in his fingers. He looked at her with such passion that Marinette didn’t know how to describe it. “But I didn’t want to make you feel trapped.”  _ Where did this calm and collected boy come from, he was at a loss for words a few minutes ago. _

“All of the other versions of you did, I’m used to it by now,” She was flirting shamelessly. If Alya were around she would surely mock Marinette, but she couldn’t help herself. She was a ball of energy that needed an outlet.

Adrien smirked at her, “Well I can’t let my other selves show me up.” The boy gently pushed her against the wall, much different than any of the others. He gently placed his hands on her waist and kissed her smoothly. Her hands gripped the back of his shirt as their kissing became more and more passionate. His hands slowly moved up her sides underneath her shirt. His ring grazed across her skin giving her a slight chill. Against her will she moaned slightly as his kissing progressively got stronger. She could have stayed like that forever. They probably would have stayed like that forever if they didn’t hear a confident voice above them on the second level of the school.

“Well look what the cat dragged in,” The voice cooed in a joking manner. Adrien groaned, annoyed to be interrupted and slowly pushed away from Marinette. The two looked up where the voice was coming from, to see Alya grinning at them with Nino right behind her. Marinette silently sighed.

“Alya I’m going to kill you,” She whispered. Adrien turned and smiled at her. 

“Well what are you two waiting for, it’s time for you to get to class,” Alya called down. Marinette felt disappointed, knowing Alya was right. They needed to get to class. Marinette pushed up from her position on the wall and began to walk away when she felt Adriens strong hand wrap around her waist from behind. He leaned in to her ear, his lips brushing against her hair.

“This isn’t finished Princess, we’ll continue this conversation tonight,” He whispered. Then he let her go and began to walk towards the classroom. Leaving Marinette standing there with her mouth hanging open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoopises.... 
> 
> one more chapter left.


	10. Happily Yours

Ladybug tapped her finger gently against Adrien’s bedroom window, she anxiously waited for him to come. His words from earlier were echoing in her head. It took a few seconds for Adrien to come let her in. The two had passed notes back and forth during class, trying to establish when and where to meet up. They had decided that Adrien’s house would be the better option because his father would be out of town that night. She had transformed into Ladybug in order to make her journey across Paris seem a little bit more natural.  

When Adrien opened the window,  Ladybug felt her cheeks go a little red at the sight of him. She couldn’t believe that she was standing in his window frame. Just that morning the idea was in her wildest dreams. That kiss they shared that morning had changed everything.

“Good evening My Lady,” Adrien purred, just like chat “You look as beautiful as ever.” He gave her a lingering kiss on her cheek and she felt her face burn a little more. Her cheek tingle where his lips had made contact, and Ladybug couldn’t help but smile.  His eyes sparkled slightly, telling her he knew what effect he was having on her. He extended his hand to help her out of his window frame into his room. Once she was inside he shut the window behind her and plopped down on his couch. Ladybug quickly transformed and joined him on the couch. 

As soon as she was on his couch she felt his arm wrap around her shoulder, he did it so casually like he had done it a hundred times. Which he had when she thought about it, Chat had wrapped his arms around Ladybug more times than she could count. But these were different circumstances, Adrien had never touched Marinette that way before today. She would have thought that he would have been a little bit more nervous.  _ He must not be freaking out as much as me,  _ she thought as she angled her knees to look at him. His face was bright red and it looked like he was slightly holding his breath. Marinette sigh of relief escaped her lips.  _ He was just as nervous as her. _ Everything felt so right-- natural even, but Marinette still couldn’t get over the fact that she wasn’t dreaming. The boy sitting next to her had been the leading man in more dreams than she could count, as both Adrien and Chat. It was inevitable that their awkward silence was doomed to go on forever. An encouraging nudge came from beside her and she quickly glanced down to see Tikki floating there with a ‘you can do it’ look on her face. She smiled at Tikki before the kwami floated over to a black kwami that Marinette could only assume was Adrien’s. 

“So,” Adrien murmured, his mouth was close to her ear again. She felt herself jump despite the fact that she knew he enjoyed doing that. He chuckled a little as Marinette slowly turned towards him, trying to show at least a semblance of annoyance. Adrien chuckled softly, but didn’t move from where he was sitting. Their lips were dangerously close to each other since Marinette had moved her head to look at him. She eyed his lips cautiously; she was like a drug addict that wanted nothing more than to get her fix, but she knew Adrien had things that he wanted to discuss with her.

“So, what?” She whispered, afraid that if she talked too loud the spell would be broken. Adrien licked his lips, and Marinette felt herself resist the urge to grab him and kiss him. Instead she listened to the words forming on his lips. 

“I found myself in three different realities while I was gone. Some weren’t that different from our own. Others... others were terrible. Yet, as bad as feeling completely alone was, It was nothing compared to what I felt in the last reality I was sent to...” He trailed off, Marinette tilted her head to look up at him, he had tears in his eyes.

“The reality where you were dead?” She asked, “The switcher sent you there so you wouldn’t be a problem to him anymore,” It would have been understandable that that reality was the most painful for him.

“I wasn’t the only one dead in that reality Marinette,” He responded. His eyes were intense as he looked down at Marinette with a serious look on his face, “You were.”  _ Oh.  _ “When I found myself in this reality I found a tombstone with your name on it. Mari... i felt myself break when I saw your name there. When I realized that you were dead. Even though I knew I wasn’t in our reality I still couldn’t imagine a world without you in it.” His lips parted again. Marinette growled inwardly, wanting to kiss him. The thought was almost overpowering, but she resisted and continued listening. “It made me realize, you are amazing Marinette. You are amazing as both Ladybug and Marinette. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”

“You don’t have to,” She responded, feeling herself subconsciously lean closer towards his lips, “I’ll always be here.” 

She was hyper aware of where he had placed his hands. Where his lips were. Where his eyes were looking. Their lips were millimeters apart, as they looked into each other's eyes. Adrien’s arm had fallen to her waist and the other rested in her lap. As she was fighting the urge to kiss him, he gave up the fight. She felt his mouth press against her’s with a force of energy that told her he had been fighting the urge to kiss her just as long as she had. She parted her mouth and felt their tongues entertwine. The hand on her leg slid upwards slowly and softly slid back under her shirt. His hand rested on her stomach as he gently pushed her backwards onto the couch. They continued kissing as his knees came on either side of her. She took her hands and brushed them across his neck and upwards towards his jaw.

He pulled away from their passionate kiss and began slowly kissing her neck over and over in the same spot, she felt his hand move further up her shirt. Marinette felt like she was in heaven. Adrien was everything she had ever dreamed of. Chat was everything she had fantasised about. They were the same person. She couldn’t feel more like the luckiest girl in the world. She felt the cold of his ring against her breast, but she didn’t care. It was the only feeling that reassured her that this wasn’t a dream, that it was in fact real.

Adrien returned to Marinette’s mouth and they continued their kissing.His weight shifted so that he was resting on top of her, making it impossible for her to move. She didn’t mind, she wasn’t going anywhere. They stayed like that for what felt like both years and seconds. TIme didn’t seem to matter to Marinette anymore, but eventually their kissing stopped. Adrien lay his head on her chest, his hand removed, and looked up at her. He had a dazed smile on his face, like he couldn’t quite believe what happened either. The two were happier than either could remember being. Despite all the grief the Switcher had caused them he had led them to their happy ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Thank you Thank you for showing support in this small fanfic. This idea means so much to me and it means the world that people actually liked it. I loved working on this so much and I hope you guys felt the love too. You all are amazing!!!!
> 
> Again a reminder that this is Part 1 of a 2 part series. The next part is from Alya and Nino's Point of View, so if you feel like you need more of them in your life look forward to that.  
> Thanks again guys!!!


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